


come sail away

by toyang



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Fear of Drowning, M/M, San Francisco Bay Area, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-24
Updated: 2019-06-24
Packaged: 2020-05-18 23:41:35
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,512
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19345075
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/toyang/pseuds/toyang
Summary: san francisco summers aren't all that bad. they're sunny, slightly windy, and bring out all those windsurfers to the beach from their wake. minseok thinks all the sails bobbing out in the ocean brings out a nice touch in the water, especially when the cute and tiny windsurfer with the kitten lips really catches his eye.





	come sail away

**Author's Note:**

> **Prompt Petal:** 89  
>  **Author's Note:** thank you mods for holding this fic fest. i've enjoyed writing for this prompt and sometimes got carried away on where to take it. i ran out of time to reach everything i wanted to write for it, but maybe i can touch back on it later. ^^ given that this fic is taking place in the states, the characters do first introduce themselves with their english names. that was a little bit of fun thinking those up too. hehe

not even out of the parking lot and minseok catches the windsurfer guy as he’s untying his board off of the roof of his car. it’s rather curious for him  when the guy is usually already either next to the water or already catching some waves when minseok arrives on the scene.

not that he’s really keeping track of that stuff _personally_ as if he was interested or anything, he tries to tell himself, but the design of his sail is easily recognizable and all. the silhouette of the tiny man is also very unique in its own way, with broad shoulders and proportions straighter than he’s ever seen before.

but now the said sail hasn’t reached anywhere near the water since he’s last spotted it, and it also looks like he’s having some trouble unbuckling the straps. minseok watches as the straps are taught while the board leans over to one side, his knowledge of what little physics he knows tells him that the moment the clips holding it together release, there is a high chance of the board to slide down quickly before the guy even has a chance to catch it properly. looking at the back of the guy’s head as it looks around to the buckles and adjusting his hands accordingly must mean he had also realized his predicament, and minseok walks over quickly as the guy reaches up to start up this predicted series of events.

the man holds up the board with one hand as he released the other buckles, although it starts teetering dangerously to one side before he was able to catch it. two more hands were better in this scenario no matter how it was looked at, and thankfully he was there to save the day. the guy looked surprised seeing that the weight started evening out and he made eye contact with minseok almost wanting to be sure this wasn’t some sort of fluke. he shows relief knowing that another person is helping him and flashes him a thankful smile as they slowly lower he board and directs him to how it should stand.

“thank you so much. that almost would have been a disaster.” the windsurfer turns around to properly thank his helper once the board is safely leaning against his car. being this close to him, it’s easier to see the features of the man he’d always noticed in the water before, and really, how could he look more stunning up close? his cheekbones are noticeably angular and high, and the way his straight brows have a natural slant to him emphasizes his thought that it’s like he has a permanent smile on his face. lips are thin but long, with its corners turned up almost like a cat’s. he doesn’t even want to get started on that chin, looking so strong that it could cut diamonds. ‘tiny guy’ turns out not to be so tiny either, standing at the same eye-level as minseok himself. this man has such unique features he wonders how someone like him could exist in this world, but here he is, having stood corrected. literally.

the man’s eyes light up in recognition after staring for a few moments, shoulders raising and those kitten lips dropping open in surprise. “oh, i’ve seen you a few times around here, i think. you’re a jogger, right?”

he’s slightly taken aback by the question and it shows on his face. wow, so he’s not the only one who’s noticed? so it was some sort of mutual noticing, an acknowledgement that they were both here at the beach at the same time. it would have been great to know about this earlier. after the initial shock wears off quickly enough, he nods back at the other.

“yes, i like to jog here in the mornings. there’s not a lot of people here at this time.” 

windsurfer guy nods back in agreement, a smile following that shows his amusement. “yeah, that’s honestly why i come here in the mornings too.” with another pause, he looks at the other again before holding out his hands. with his board out of harm’s way, the next thing that obviously should come are the introductions. “i’m dylan, by the way.” 

he reaches out to take his hand and shake it firmly. “matt. it’s nice to meet you.”

“it’s nice to meet you too.” 

minseok doesn’t want to leave it just at that, and he’s in between thinking up another question and worrying that he’s overstaying his welcome. dylan from the looks of it isn’t dismissing him away either while he’s busy unloading his other equipment. hopefully he’s alright with the company. “is there anything else you might need help with?”

“i think i’ve got everything else under control, but thank you for offering. i wouldn’t want to impede on your jog.”

he might be saying that, but minseok sees not only the board, but the long drawstring bags he’s also unloading from the car rack. that’s a lot of big stuff to bring with him every time he wants to windsurf, but he guesses for a passion, it’s a burden he’s willing to shoulder. it still looks like a lot for one person to carry, though. “it’s alright. this looks like a two-person job you’re doing alone. i can help you carry something.” it’s probably that san francisco friendliness getting to him, he thinks to himself and _not at all_ about just wanting to be around him. nope, nothing like that.

dylan gives in quite easily to his offer with a subtle smile. he turns towards him, the bags balancing on his arms to hand over while trying to avoid hitting his car. “in that case, would you mind if you carry these?” 

they’re a little heavier than minseok expects, but from the feel of it, one bag contains metal rods and the other something smooth but sturdy. he guesses the big sail is in his arms. dylan presses his remote to lock his car before picking up his board and motioning for the other to follow him.

“you seem to windsurf pretty often. it must be something you really like doing,” he comments to beak the silence.

“yeah, it’s my thing to do during the summer and the bay area’s weather is one of the best places for it.”

minseok figures. even in his first year in the city, that was obvious enough that the weather was pretty different from what he hears about los angeles.

“how long have you been doing this?”

“maybe about five... six years now?”

“that’s still a long time to practice.” 

“might be, but that’s only a few months of the year when it can be done.” minseok studies dylan and it’s easy to assume he’s the kind of adventurous dude who windsurfs during the summer and snowboards during winter. hell, he could also be one of those who own a skateboard to travel around a campus with. he just _looks_ like it. the amusement stays in his head rather than blurting it out for the other to hear his thoughts; he might have a lot of thoughts, but he wasn’t careless about sharing them.

dylan carefully places his board in the sand when they are closer to the shore and turns around to retrieve the other bags in minseok’s hands. he thanks the other again for his help and sorry about taking his time, but minseok waves a hand dismissively and mentions that ten minutes lost jogging could be made up easily. “besides, i’ve got to talk to you after seeing you out there those other times. it’s good to finally know your name.” 

“you know what, same here,” he replies with a small laugh. it’s satisfying now, now that he’s had a conversation with dylan. minseok voices that he’ll be off to start his jog, and jongdae turns to face him. “i’ll see you around. don’t be a stranger next time, yeah?” 

dylan keeps eye contact with the other until he sees his eyes quickly raking across his figure. he doesn’t know how to take it; the other could just be sizing him up for all he knows. that is, until he winks, and minseok is stunned for a moment. he throws a small wave of his hand once before turning around to find a place to stretch. afterwards, even during his jog, he can’t seem to shake off the feeling.

 

~ 🌊 ~

 

another week, and another morning at the beach. by the time minseok makes his rounds across the shore, he spots the windsurfer’s black and yellow sail bobbing with the waves, catching air before seeing the board lift off from the water at least a few feet.

he assumes just by staring at the way that the others have also maneuvered their sails that the sport requires a lot of science knowing surface tension and how to manipulate their movements using the wind’s velocity. then again, as someone who studied kinesiology, that could be said that all sports have their own science and professionalism to them. windsurfing had the added factor relying on nature and riding the high tide without getting too close to the shore. there was a lot to think about for the sport, and he has to give a hand out to the athletes’ mental and physical capacity.

dylan is by far tens of meters away from everyone to see them clearly, with his attention mostly focused on keeping his balance and whatever plan he’s thought up. although minseok kind of _wants_ to make eye contact with him. he doesn’t want to do it in the way that he’d be sticking out like a sore thumb just staring at him like a dumbass. he’s 28, dumbassery is behind him now. so, he carefully takes a seat close by.

he doesn’t have anything that he could use to sit on, so he reluctantly sits in his jogging clothes and hopes for the best that he can brush off every grain of sand off him before he gets home.

dylan looks very cool with the way he handles the sail, and observing him for a few moments helps minseok pick up and predict when the other might be attempting a jump or when he might lose his balance on the wave. the wind picks up particularly quickly, and he watches on how the other struggles to keep his sail straight until he ultimately falls into the water.

minseok spots him breaching the water’s surface and wiping the water away from his eyes. he would love to stay around and chat, but he’s not sure how long he’s usually out there to begin with. he can’t stay for long when he has his own schedules to attend to.

 

~ 🌊 ~

 

cleaning is therapeutic; being able to take his mind off a stressful university life and only focus on scrubbing the remnants of any milk from junmyeon’s morning cereal (which the other surprisingly, and thankfully, remembered to place into the sink). he dons the rubber gloves to save his hands from the hot water, watching as the suds build up on the plates and bowls; it’s one of his favorite parts once the water washes everything off and shows how clean the surface is now. he also makes more room for kyungsoo’s cooking by drying the clothes on the drying crack and cleaning up anything that needs to be trashed or recycled.

upon his swift organizing around the kitchen and piling dishware is when he hears kyungsoo’s voice in the middle of cutting vegetables. he doesn’t catch most of it the first time thanks to the rustling of a bag, but he hears a “something on your mind, hyung?” suddenly. kyungsoo is glancing his way for a moment so they could make eye contact, an affirmation that the older had heard him this time. “and can you pass me a clean plate?”

rather than putting it away in the cupboard, minseok hands over the plate he was just finished with. “what makes you think that? about something being on my mind.”

he nods over to the free space near him for the older to put it down. kyungsoo immediately gathers the vegetables he just cut to make more room to cut more on the wooden board. it’s a mystery how his roommate can make cooking look so easy. minseok knows by experience that even dicing potatoes and trying to make them all the same size doesn’t always go exactly as he plans either. “you only help me with the cooking when there’s something you want to say.”  

“that predictable, hm?” there’s a small laugh that follows as he continues to watch kyungsoo expertly wield the knife to chop up the vegetables. kyungsoo would kick out anyone in the kitchen when he was cooking, his excuse was that they would only get in the way (‘next time it’s your fault if the pan touches you while i move it’ he remembers hearing him scold junmyeon one evening). minseok has been the only exception to that rule when he cleans as kyungsoo cooks, though he’s also earned an unofficial title as his sous chef. there’s also the fact that, despite the younger’s apathetic exterior, minseok knew that the younger enjoyed his company. “i guess you could say that.”

another stock of vegetables were finished being cut and moved to the plate. from the looks of all the ingredients, he could guess that the younger was making some kind of curry. “are you going to tell me?”

“i’m thinking about it.” done with all of his set tasks, he places the towel back to where it was and leans against the counter.

there’s a lot of consideration he’s making about telling kyungsoo or not when this time it isn’t something related to his university work, but a _guy_. and not just any guy, someone who he just passes by when he decides to jog at the beach. what would he think about this strange infatuation he has with a person he’s only met and said hi a few times to?

the younger doesn’t press him any further about it and focuses on cooking. the time lets him ruminate on his thoughts until he’s ready to voice them out. “there’s a windsurfer down at the beach sometimes on my morning run...” the story continues while he mentions how frequent he sees him in the water, and how they’d finally talked to each other the other day. minseok expresses his other thoughts about the man and how he radiates positive energy and maybe there’s more to it than wanting to get to know him more. he ends his story with the wink dylan gave him and a ‘you don’t normally do that to people you just meet and aren’t attracted to, right kyungsoo? back me up on this.’ there’s a soft sigh coming from him, and from the corner of his eye, he could see a smile forming on those heart-shaped lips of his. “what am i, a fucking teenager again?”

“that sounds very accurate,” the younger teases with a laugh. “i don’t know what to say to you aside from that you should approach him yourself if you want his number. doesn’t seem like there’s any other way around it if you’ve only seen him at the beach.”

“yeah...”

“of course you can be more direct about it and ask him right then and there ‘hey, let’s fuck’ after he gave you a once over. wouldn’t seem to hurt.”

kyungsoo immediately earns a hard punch and shove coming from minseok after being taken aback by that risque answer. “ _christopher kyungsoo do!_ ” the other laughs, but defends himself with a reminder that _he’s cooking!_ serves as an immunity to any onslaught (which he rightfully deserves later). it’s not a bad idea to think about, the suggestion before his, uh, forwardness. the ideas ruminate while he watches the curry simmering in the wok and the delectable flavors waft out of it. kyungsoo then requests a bowl big enough to fit a la carte and pours all of its contents in.

“now go get jongin. he’s in his room sleeping last i remember.”

minseok stands up straighter again and gives the other a casual salute with two fingers. “you got it, chef.”

 

~ 🌊 ~

 

minseok plays it off as if he’s taking a break in this convenient spot within eyesight of dylan. the advice kyungsoo kindly shared with him still plays in his head to muster up the courage to ask him. he really should have studied more to see whether that guy might be finished windsurfing, but he can’t be on the water for that much longer when he started before minseok started his run.

he sucked up his pride this time, and made sure that there wasn’t any other pressing matters to attend to at least for the morning. to pass the time, he checks his phone, plays some games, and may or may not have recorded the windsurfer to see if he could catch him when he was doing something really cool.

eventually, he sees dylan sailing his way closer to the sand to take a break. the moment the other looks up upon setting his feet on solid ground again, minseok waves his arm to get his attention and dylan waves back. “hey, matt!” the kitten lips come back while dragging his board with him, slowly resting the big sail in the sand before he himself takes a seat. he unstraps the ankle tie from himself and uses his fingers to comb his hair back. from this close, dylan’s hair is still dripping wet as he sees the small beads collect at the end of his strands. he ruffles his hair again a little to fling off the excess water.

the other turns to him, taking in what minseok is wearing as much as minseok does the same to him. his choice of jogging clothes today are simple shorts and a compression shirt to keep him warm during the run. one would say that he’s trying to show off in this shirt, and... well okay, maybe he is trying to show off just a little bit. but he’s free to be happy with how his body looks. “how’ve you been?”

“pretty good. i saw you sitting here for awhile and actually, there is something i’d like to ask you.” minseok acknowledges him and nods for him to continue; he might not have heard the question yet, but kind of likes where this is going. “would you be interested in coming to a bonfire this weekend? i have a group of friends planning on going. the only requirement is that you bring something flammable to throw into the pit. easy enough, right?” 

“a bonfire, huh?” minseok would have to admit, he’s never gone to one in his life. he’s heard of people having them in the city, but those he knew really never brought it up or had interest in going.

dylan nods back to him. “you can bring your friends, too. it’s not exclusive or anything. besides...” he leans in just a little bit closer as if telling him a secret. “every time we’re here, we already have something we’re doing, but i’d like to get to know you better.”

a smile matches the windsurfer’s; looks like he beat him to it. with an open invitation as well. how could he not turn this down? “sure, i’ll think about it. i might have to look at my plans but i’ll most likely have time.”

smiles shouldn’t be this bright, but for some reason, dylan’s just seems to be challenging the sun’s. “great! i’ll give you my number to let you know where we are. i hope to see you there.”

 

~ 🌊 ~

 

to group chat: **roommates**

**kim minseok**  
     guys!!!  
     i need your help. who wants to come to a bonfire with me this weekend?

**do kyungsoo**    
     a bonfire out at the sandy beach drinking with strangers?  
     hard pass

**kim jongin**  
     ah  
     my performance is this weekend  
     with my group  
     sorry  
     wish i could go though

**kim minseok**    
     it’s alright! do what you need to do.  
     junmyeon?

**kim junmyeon**  
     sounds fun!  
     i’ll go

      **kim minseok**  
     glad i can count on you. ^^

 

~ 🌊 ~

 

minseok knew this was the reason for all the pits in the sand, but he never stays at the beach for long enough to see people setting up and lighting up the fires. there were a lot of people, more than he could ever imagine being at the beach at once, multiple fires going on at once and minseok didn’t have any other word to use for it aside from ‘warm.’

“hey, you made it!” the voice was too distinct for him to mistaken it, looking further until his eyes land  on the windsurfer approaching him and junmyeon. he’s nicely styled for the beach with his hair parted attractively to the side while also wearing beach shorts and a graphic t-shirt. it felt almost strange to see jongdae wearing something aside from a wetsuit, but he had only see him those days when he spent time on the ocean. that should have been reasonable enough.

“i’m glad you invited me.” he motions his hand towards junmyeon for the other to meet. “i’ve brought one of my roommates. this is james.”

his roommate holds out his hand to shake. “it’s a pleasure.” 

there’s more people around than what minseok is used to having as he scans the beach. he wonders if dylan actually knows everyone who’s here. normally minseok’s gatherings are with those where he could at least recognize all their faces, but here, he feels like it would be an accomplishment to befriend at least one other person than dylan.

the windsurfer leads them over to their ice cooler to offer them one of their drinks. with minseok the designated driver, he’s allotted himself one can of beer to cash in for the night. the other reaches into the icy cold water opening a beer can and pouring it into a red solo cup. “rules state we can’t have alcohol, but what they don’t know won’t hurt them...” junmyeon also requests the same brand and is handed the cup the same way.

“hey, jd! we need your muscles,” they hear someone calling away from the fire pit.

“be right there!” dylan responds while turning his head to them.

jd? minseok has a curious glint as the other’s head is turned. he gives them a signal that he’s heard his friend’s distress call before looking back at his guests. “sorry, i’ll have to leave you here. don’t be afraid to walk around and mingle. we’re all good people.” with that approval, dylan jogs across to the other end of the group to lend them an extra hand, or foot from the looks of it. the piece of wood looks long and needed help breaking it into smaller pieces.

_walk around and mingle._ easier said than done to a couple of homebodies, though minseok also doesn’t want to disappoint his acquaintance by not doing anything aside from standing around and staring at the fire. luckily, junmyeon is more of a people person than anyone else in their household, so minseok is more than happy to follow his lead.

they approach closer to the fire where they hear multiple conversations overlapping each other. it’s hard to concentrate on just one, when words are thrown around and it’s hard to determine where it’s coming from.

there’s a man who looks directly at the two of them, though, and he smiles while waving them over. his hair is slicked back and the product makes it glow even more majestically reflecting the light of the fire. the man looks friendly enough, and one would argue that the bags under his eyes make him look like he’s known to daydream a lot. “i don’t believe i’ve seen you around before. i’m ray.” 

“matt. and this is james.” once the formalities are over between the three of them, minseok feels more at ease. “this is my first time coming to these things. dylan invited me. i’m one of his... friends? acquaintances?”

“i figured, since i saw him talking to you.” the man smiles, and there’s a noticeable dimple on his left cheek. “i’m one of his friends too. dylan and i are roommates. how did you two meet?”

“mornings at the beach. i’m always jogging there when he’s out windsurfing.” 

“oh! you’re that guy!” ray’s eyes go wide and points at minseok in realization. “he’s mentioned you to me many times before.”

“oh really?” dylan’s mentioned him to his roommate? a part of him feels flattered.

“yes, it’s true. he looked pretty happy when he said you might be coming here. i was looking forward to meeting you.”

there’s a noticeable look on junmyeon’s face, the one with his brows raised like he knows some juicy secret, when minseok turns to see him, though he tries to hide it from him as he takes a sip from his cup. minseok smiles softly at the comment, unsure of how to respond. “oh well, i didn’t know he had a roommate, so i didn’t expect to meet you.” he regrets the words right when it spews out of his mouth. “i mean, i’m sorry, it _is_ nice to meet you. i’m just surprised that dylan’s talked about me when we haven’t spoken that much at all.”

“well maybe we can change that.”  

the task their person in question set out to do earlier was now completed, and they find him within their circle. dylan is quick to wrap an arm around ray’s shoulders as the other nurses a cup.

“so...” the moment dylan comes back, the question still hangs over his head too curious that he has to ask. “’jd.’”

“right... yeah,” he starts off with a bashful smile. minseok didn’t think the other had it in him, to look bashful, that is, not when the guy seems like the real daredevil that nothing scares him. he let’s his roommate go as he motions for him to continue. “they’re the initials of my korean name. it’s a nickname that my friends have stuck with calling me since high school.”

“it sounds nice.” _more... you._ but he leaves that part out when he hardly knows the guy. “i like that name on you. it sounds like it belongs to a guy who knows how to have fun.” 

jongdae laughs, amused. “well you know me.”

“so, you’re korean? we are, too.” junmyeon interjects, also interested in this topic as he takes another sip. although the way he’s presenting himself, someone could mistake him for trying to strike a business deal. for what? that would be debatable. “what is your korean name then, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“if you are that curious, it’s kim jongdae. but most of my friends simply use jd.” 

that’s a new fact about him that minseok finds pleasant. he had his suspicions, but never found the right time to ask. “i only get laughs when people see my initials. though the laughs usually come from the ones who spend too much time online like on twitter.” 

there’s a challenging look in his eyes, as if he’s making this a game to see if he knows. “okay, shoot.” 

“my korean name is kim minseok, so taking the first letter from each character, it becomes kms.”

the recognition of the word doesn’t seem to befall the other, but junmyeon next to him chuckles behind his hand. it’s not the first time his roommate has heard this, but for some reason, he always finds it oddly amusing.

dylan looks like he’s missing on the inside joke, and minseok is pretty glad that he is. “sorry, i don’t think i know.” 

“’kms’ is what people would write instead of ‘kill myself,’” replies the walking urban dictionary. minseok hadn’t even known why these people always replied so amusingly to his name until junmyeon explained to him too. “like how people would use it in stressful situations they want to get out of, or like how people want to get out of a boring work meeting so they go ‘kill me now.’”

“ah~!” now that he understood it, jongdae started to laugh along with the joke. “okay, that makes sense now, but now i’m also sorry that i did.” 

minseok smiles back at him, raising his beer can to take another sip. “it’s alright. it doesn’t happen often. not a lot of people around here know my korean name to begin with.” 

“then i’m honored to be one of the lucky few.” 

their conversation makes their rounds to know more about each other. minseok mentions that he’s a student at university of san francisco completing his last year to earn his masters. he also learns that dylan has a strong affiliation with water when his graduate program is at csu monterey bay studying marine life. “wow,” minseok awes. “i’m sure with your love of water, your classes have been going  _swimmingly._ ” 

“on no...” dylan...jd? says with a hard sigh while junmyeon laughs over to the side. ray has a smile on his face, but his reaction in between everyone else’s with some sympathy towards the other. “you’re one of them.” 

minseok laughs at his reaction, guessing that he’s not a big fan of puns. what a shame.

dylan hears one of his friends calling the others over to play a round of mafia, deeming that they have enough people to make it interesting. he invites minseok and junmyeon to play as well and they take a seat to complete the circle. there was a contingency to this game, for whoever the loser is in the last round, that person will have to face taking a dive in the water. with that said, minseok has vowed to avoid that like the plague. someone pulls out their deck of cards, shuffles it quickly, and hands it over to the game master.

turns out a lot of his friends are competitive but also funny while they accuse each other of being the mafia. fingers were being pointed mostly towards the loud ones, and junmyeon gets killed by one of them after the second night. minseok finds his demise after the next night, though he continues to sit around observing the game.  

jd almost makes it all the way to the end until they discover and confirm that he’s the mafia boss, and his punishment is soon carried out. there is nowhere for him to go; his friends are quick to squat down and grab his legs while another one waits behind him to hook him from under his arms. he’s carried this way ceremoniously towards the ebb and flow of the water while other friends trail behind with their phones out and recording the whole ordeal.

they count happily, swinging him closer with each number, before they finally let him go to fly through the air and land in the waters with a big splash. there’s no hard feelings at all when he sees jd standing up with a smile on his face. on his way back to the shore, the waves push him around enough that he loses his balance and falls into the water once more. jd seems to be everyone’s friend with the way they come with towels and tease him. he takes one of them to pat himself dry before hanging it around his neck and taking another seat around the circle.

this time, the other looks more determined than before when he asks to play again, and everyone else looks like they were up for it too.

minseok turns out to be one of the mafia this time, and he tries his strategy to kill off the clever ones from the last game. the problem is, it’s hard for him to lie when he’s under pressure, and ray picks up on that with his questioning. the others join in, although somewhat apologetically, but agree on taking him down before the next night.

oh no. that means he just lost.

“wait!” minseok cries out, holding his hands up as the ones who carried jd to the waters were quickly gaining on him. they weren’t the only ones in on it when more people closer to minseok follow up on the punishment, including jd, and manage to grab and lift up his limbs. “i can’t swim!” he defends again, but the others assure him that they won’t throw him that deep into the water.

he shouts as the others swing him, and then feels them let go of his wrists and ankles when his side splashes into the water. next is silence with only the bubbles around him rippling back up to the surface.

the waves are unpredictable, the undertow waiting just beneath their feet to sweep them away. minseok doesn’t want to  know where this place is nor does he want to find out, so he finds is bearings as soon as possible and stands up. the water is cold, splashing, pulling and pushing him until he can find the right balance to stand up. he feels someone grab onto his arm to help him, firm and strong, as he gains his footing. in his line of sight, he can see the graphic tee still clinging to jongdae and revealing his tiny frame. that wasn’t hard to recognize as he wipes the salt water from his eyes.

someone approaches them and volunteers their towel, spreading it out to wrap minseok in it. the small chunks of sand clinging to the fibers makes him unsure whether this towel has been sat on as a rug beforehand, but he’s too cold and wet to question it for now.

two games is enough for the big group, and they decide to move onto something else as others find it’s time for them to call it a night.

 

~ 🌊 ~

 

“you really can’t swim?” jongdae asks when they have a little time to themselves. the fires are dying down, and more people are rapping up their festivities with cleaning their messes.

he shakes his head. “i haven’t learned.” 

“why haven’t you?” 

“i didn’t really have a need to living in guri. we studied and studied some more. i played soccer, too, so i wasn’t really around water that much while i grew up.” another story dances along the tip of his tongue. it wants to come out, but he’s not sure if he’s ready to tell jongdae about it.

“have you ever thought about learning? i could teach you.” 

he turns to the other, surprised by his offer. “you don’t have to do that”

“i could if you’d like! i was a swimming instructor once so i can take you through the steps  if it would make you feel less helpless if something like that, being thrown to the waves and whatnot, then there’s no reason not to learn. swimming’s not scary.” 

swimming’s not scary, but oh, the ocean is definitely a scary place, filled with animals, the deep dark depths, and the unknown creatures marine biologists are still discovering. not to mention the atmospheric pressure underneath and how cold it is there too. he doesn’t want to bring all of that up as he looks to the waves. “i disagree with you on that statement because _you_ swimming in the ocean is scary, but i’m not about to debate with you tonight.” 

he hears a chuckle. “believe me, i know. i work at the monterey bay aquarium. maybe i just have a more positive look on the ocean. but we wouldn’t practice in the ocean, we would practice at a swimming pool.”

he can’t give the other an answer now about those swimming lessons, but he is damn well tempted in accepting them.

 

~ 🌊 ~

 

“minseok, he’s hella into you.” 

“you’re lying,” minseok states almost on instinct, eyes on the road and both hands on the steering wheel. he should have known that leaving the beach at this time would mean they would still run into traffic on their way home. thankfully, it’s not as bad when he knows some of the back roads to get home.

“i could be blind and literally feel the sexual tension between you and jongdae, my friend. that’s why it hurts me to know that you didn’t do anything with him at the bonfire.” the way he’s talking has minseok suspecting that kyungsoo might have also had a small word with junmyeon about this ‘growing crush,’ when he doesn’t remember talking to junmyeon too specifically or in detail, but he’ll just leave it at that.

“we didn’t _not_ do anything. you were there. we talked.” 

“well, you also could have done more.” 

“you don’t think i thought of that...” he faces the other momentarily, somewhat amused. “i have more time to meet him though. he’s offered to give me swimming lessons.” 

“oh, that sounds nice of him. almost too nice. are you sure i’m not reading too much into it?” this time, the other receives a strict glare, and that causes junmyeon to hold his hands up defensively.“i’m not kidding though, and it sounds like an opportunity in more than one way. what are you waiting for?”

 

~ 🌊 ~

 

what _is_ minseok waiting for? he also asks himself while staring at his phone.

who could have thought that jd (he think he’ll think of him as jd when it sounds more him) would drop into his lap and pull him out of his shell more? that he’s already taken the time out of his schedule to do these things to get closer to him? certainly not minseok. playing a mindless game doesn’t help him process his thoughts, and he simply stares at his messages. ‘i see you~’ is the last message he received from jd. he wants to say something back to him, now that they’re back into the throw of their weekday schedule, but what?

**kim minseok**  
     about those swimming lessons...  
     did you really mean it?

he puts his phone face down against the table, clipboard back in hand and watching the high schoolers running through their baseball plays as a field study. the coach goes through his practices and conditioning, making them run to warm up and take turns throwing the ball at each other. his phone vibrates a few times through, but he ignores it for now to wait until he’s more available. minseok finds his page full of notes by the end of their training added with advice to himself when it comes to him in charge of his own team, and he packs up the moment the students are also making their way off the field.

the phone continues to blink because of his new messages, and he finally picks it up to read once he rests his bag across his shoulders.

**kim jd**  
     i did  
     are you interested? ^^

      **kim minseok**  
     if we can find a good time to meet up. and where?

**kim jd**  
     i’ll link u to the swimming pool i go to. i can teach you there.  
     tell me what a good time is for you.  
     since from what you mentioned, your days are busier than mine

later in the day, he looks at his calendar to discuss some of his days, and just like that, they set their first lesson in the coming week.

 

~ 🌊 ~

 

“since you’re majoring in sports management, you should know what the proper swimming technique is then, right? it’s not like you’ll be going into this blindly.” 

“in theory.” 

“right well,” jd looks down at the pool, gesturing at the expanse of it. “if something does happen in this swimming pool, you don’t have to worry because i’m cpr certified.” 

the other’s sense of humor is appreciated, and does help ease some of the anxiety that comes with why they’re here. “let’s hope that it doesn’t come to that.”

jd is wearing something more appropriate for swimming in pools rather than in the pacific ocean; rather than a wet suit, it’s the shorts he remembers from the bonfire. he starts off with a few stretches and his arms bend behind his head. once he’s completed stretching his arms, he’s bending down and reaching for his toes. he doesn’t seem too flexible from the looks of it, and minseok smiles at his own amusement. as jd continues, minseok figures he should follow and do the same instead of getting ‘distracted.’

“dylan... jd... however you’d like me to call you...” 

“i only really get called jongdae from my family, so dylan or jd’s fine.” 

“okay, jd...” minseok rotates his shoulders backwards and then forwards, wanting to warm up properly. “there’s something that i’ve been dying to ask you since the bonfire: can you speak korean?” 

“i’m better at understanding it than speaking, but i want to say that i’m at an elementary level.” jd doesn’t seem that proud to confess it, but he shrugs it off. “it’s normal for us asian american kids not to be fluent in their parents’ language when they’re so focused on us speaking english correctly. i really only hear it between my older family members.”

it sounds unfortunate, but he’s heard something similar from others in the same situation. usually they would have the same reasoning, too. “practice with me then, if you’d like to,” minseok replies, switching to his mother tongue.

there’s a small pause, but jd responds quickly enough. “you mean like me speaking korean to you?” he stays with english. the switch doesn’t seem to knock the other too off balance, so that looks like a good sign that he can understand in such short notice and still reply back. he starts walking towards the ladder to lower himself into the pool.

minseok for now adjusts to the water’s temperature the safer way, sitting at the edge and dipping his feet in. “as long as you feel comfortable with it.”

jd hums, but doesn’t say much else. the topic seems to be put off for another time after a long pause when the other is more distracted on how to start this lesson. “okay, so the first thing that you should probably learn to do is tread water. it’s the least you can do to keep your head above.” he bobs gently against the surface of the water, the clear reflection showing the way his hands move and how his legs kick slowly.

minseok is ready to enter too, and he scoots his seat until he’s next to the ladder. the other goes over what he should do to tread and shares some common mistakes some beginners fall into. minseok is not used to not having something to hold onto while in a pool, and his feet are moving frantically to keep himself up, and jd doesn’t pass to comment on it.

the windsurfer is patient no matter how nervous minseok gets with this and he appreciates it, helps him calm down and get out of his head worrying about drowning. “maybe we can talk to keep yourself from thinking too much...” there’s a concentrated look on his face, brows furrowing in thought as he thinks of what to say. his hands come up, trying to grab the other’s attention and hold it. jd switches to speak korean, at first stumbling a little when he starts. “ _so you grew up in korea? before, you said you lived in guri._ ” 

jd’s korean is careful and slow, like he needs more practice on making his speaking more automatic. he doesn’t sound the most native, but minseok deems it passable. it’s just that the way he rolls some of his letters gives away his status as an overseas korean. still, the effort pulls out a surprised sound from minseok as he gives him a quick thumbs up, his arm then splashing back in the water to stay afloat.

“ _yeah. i grew up there. i only moved to this area to go to university._ ”

“ _so you’ve been in san francisco for...? how long?_ ” 

“ _six years. i started university late because i did my military service._ ” the younger needs clarification for some words, and minseok does so for him to understand.

“ _is there a reason why you haven’t learned swimming before?_ ”

“ _i never had to learn._ ” minseok looks down to the water in front of him, his view full of jongdae moving his feet in the water to stay afloat. he doesn’t know how he can do it when he feels like he has to constantly kick his feet to keep his head above ground. now he feels his muscles are getting quite the workout from this. “ _and i almost drowned once when i was younger._ ”

“’ _drowned?_ ’” jongdae inquires, his tone addressing what the word meant mainly. minseok translated the word to him in english, earning a nod from the other before prompting him again asking for the story.

“ _we were at a water park when i was a kid, i did have a life vest for most of it, but my father tried to teach me at one point and took it off. and you know how water parks have that one attraction that imitates waves? we went to that when i was starting to feel more confident, but the current was too strong and knocked me under the water. i tried to gain my footing again but i was too deep to reach the bottom. so i swallowed some of the water then, and i didn’t manage to come up for air again until my dad reach out for me and pulled me up._ ” he looks over to jongdae, nodding at him quietly. “ _did you get all of that?_ ” 

“ _about... 60% of that. i’m sorry,_ ” he looks apologetic. “ _you said you were at a water park. a wave knocked you over and you couldn’t get up...? and something about your dad helping you? and i think i heard something in there about kicking your feet._ ” 

“ _that’s the jist of it, yeah. good job._ ” minseok chuckes, but he also looks quite satisfied with what the other was able to catch even with some inaccuracies. minseok looks to the edge of the pool and reaches out to grab hold of it, his stamina having ran out. jongdae on the other hand, leans back to start drifting on the surface. “ _now i’m curious, you know how to swim and you’re constantly putting yourself out there in the ocean. how are you not scared of what’s out there? i mean, don’t the san francisco coasts have sharks?_ ”

jd laughs. “ _you’re really testing my korean here. but yes, san francisco does have sharks, but they’re not here year round. sharks are known to... to..._ ‘migrate,’ _i don’t know the korean word for that, and they’re here during the cold seasons, so i avoid the waters starting spring until the end of winter. wait, no. hold on, i got my seasons mixed up. from fall to winter. october to january, right?_ ” 

“ _’fall to winter,’ right._ ”

jd seems to give up on speaking korean when minseok first sees him struggling before ultimately whining. he doesn’t call him out on it when he’s done a good job up until this point. “statistically, we’re more likely to get into a car accident than getting attacked by a shark. i’d say that i’m willing to take my chances.”

“such a daredevil,” he comments, and it makes jd laugh.

after his muscles have relaxed just a little, minseok turns back into the water, letting go of the edge to tread back again. it earns praise from the other, impressed by how willing he is despite the swimming stories he’s had before. minseok would argue that he didn’t have anyone to impress before this, so he keeps that to himself.

jd shows him another trick, learning what he’s used from treading and how he might be able to navigate slowly in the water. ‘so have you ever played ocarina of time and seen the way link swims? it’ll be similar to that.’ ‘sorry, i don’t know what you’re talking about.’ ‘oh my _god_ we must rectify this problem, stat!!!’ despite the little drawback, jd shows him what he means, only using one arm to push through the water. it’s slow and careful, and jd tells minseok to swim closer to him. the moment he thinks he’s about to make it, the other swims back a little more to encourage him to go further, until they’ve made a small circle back to the pool’s edge.

“my arms are getting tired again.” 

“i’ve got you!” jd reaches out and grabs minseok’s hand to pull him closer, his smile pride and wide after seeing the progress minseok made. “wow, i didn’t expect you to be this good after you said you couldn’t swim.” 

“well i _did_ have a pretty good teacher to help me through it.” 

“i’m glad you think so.” there it is again, that sunshine smile. it’s contagious, and minseok smiles back at him.

jd is still looking at him and hasn’t exactly broken eye contact, but minseok honestly doesn’t want to break it either. there’s some... _affection_ the longer his eyes linger, a silent question that minseok hopes he’s not reading wrong. jd hasn’t let go of minseok either, and they find themselves floating closer to each other. minseok’s waiting, wondering if the other has something up his metaphorical sleeves the moment he sees him glancing down to his lips.

he feels a pair of lips brush against his own in a fleeting moment. and... that’s it. if he blinked, it was like it never happened. before minseok could react to it, it’s jd first who shakes his head taking him out of the trance and he clears his throat. “i say we deserve to wash ourselves off and relax.” right after, jongdae turns and pulls himself out of the pool.

all of that anticipation for nothing but a quick peck? minseok is honestly a little disappointed, but he’s not mad about it. in fact, there’s a little amusement when he didn’t really think of the other to be the sheepish kind. there was nothing sheepish about his look before. so while in the water watching as he lifts himself out of the pool, minseok laughs incredulously. “jd, is that your way of flirting? because honestly that was pretty fucking lame,” he teases.

“wow, you really don’t pull back your punches, do you?” jd sits at the edge of the pool this time looking down at the other. “but i also don’t know what you’re talking about.” it’s a feigned denial if minseok ever heard of one before, especially when he sees a lilt of a smile pulling back the corners of his lips.

he offers a hand to help minseok out of the pool. he reaches for it, but he uses his strength to pull him back into the waters.

“whoa!” he hears the other yelling when he makes a splash back into the water. the other breaches the surface and shakes his head, minseok falling victim to the flying stray drops. before jd has anything to say, an arm pulls him close until he kisses him hard on the lips. jongdae grabs onto him for stability rather than pushing him away, and he finds that a relief that he didn’t jump to far with his conclusions.

his lips are warm and a little chapped from the chlorine but oh so satisfying. there’s a soft sigh when they pull back, jd this time being at a loss for words as he looks at him. his eyes are wide, and he hopes that it’s because of a good surprise.

“we don’t have to take it slow, if you’re wondering,” minseok adds, quieter and softer, when he sees that they’re not the only ones around the pool now.

he sees where minseok was looking, and at first he contemplates something before turning back to him. there’s a smirk, and a small nod to the side. “i say we hit the showers.”  

minseok takes the hint, agrees with him, and follows him up the ladder to make their way into the locker room with their belongings.

he takes back what he said about himself to kyungsoo about being a teenager again when this raging desire pumps through him. they step in one shower stall together and close the curtains not too long after. jd turns the shower on to warm up the water and the cold droplets soak into their hair for now.

minseok reaches for the back of jd’s neck and continues where they left off pulling him into a kiss, longer this time and with more intention. he feels the other’s hands sliding down his chest, around his middle until they rest flat on his back. they explore the expanse of his skin, up to his shoulder blades, before moving to his lower back and pressing their bodies closer together.

minseok is happy to oblige as he ruts against him, earning a satisfied groan to escape the other’s mouth. they’re wet, their tongues hot and slippery, but neither have the want to pull back and breathe. minseok guides them the short way to press jd lightly against the shower wall and out of the stream’s way if they wanted to keep going. judging by the growing problem between their bodies, he’s thinking that jd doesn’t want to stop this either.

minseok pulls back, their breaths ghosting between them. he reaches down to the waistband of the other’s shorts and jd moves his hips forward as if giving him permission. he lowers the shorts to his knees and frees the other before doing his own. he thinks about it for a moment, what he might want to do from here, how far he and jd are willing to take it. it doesn’t take him much to remind him that they’re in a shower stall and he does have some class to refuse to kneel on the tile. instead, he reaches down in between them and massages jd between his legs.

the other’s eyes flutter closed, body relaxing and enjoying the sensations. minseok thinks jd looks so damn hot without even trying with the way his mouth is parted and huffing softly. “god...” he properly wraps his hand around the other’s cock and strokes him slowly, more so building up his tension rather than trying to get him off right at this moment. he wants to savor this moment, kissing him again, and jd reciprocates in kind.

he feels his hands reaching down to his ass and squeezing, and minseok presses his hips back for more of that touch. one good tug and a squeeze closer to his tip causes a guttural moan to escape jd and minseok gets drunk off the sound. he searches for one of the other’s hands behind and guides it to his own cock, jd understands it pretty quickly and he feels him stroking his hand in time with minseok’s own.

they stay like this, their chests rising and falling from their labored breathing and it isn’t all just from the shower running. jongdae’s pace quickens, but it turns erratic when minseok strokes him _just right_. he hears a low and strained moan in between their lips just before he feels the come releasing onto his fingers. minseok continues stroking him through his orgasm and milks him for all he has.

the other looks sated and his chest is flushed when minseok pulls back to look at him. he wants to join jd in his ecstasy, so he reaches down in between his legs, stroking himself until he’s reached his own release. 

the shower running above them drowns out their soft exhales as they slowly catch their breaths. once their senses come back, they pull themselves off of the wall to properly wash the chlorine off their bodies. 

jd’s happy when they walk back to the locker room to change back into their clothes. there’s a comfortable silence in between them with the occasional light comments and a ‘i’ll wait for you outside’ when one’s already finished changing. 

in the parking lot, minseok spots the other’s car easily, closer to them as they walk out. it’s their signal that it’s time to part ways, but he doesn’t open the door to his driver’s seat just yet. he turns to minseok with a soft smile. “well, this is me.”

“yeah…” jd’s hand rests dangerously low on minseok’s hips again, and minseok leans in to peck him on the lips before they pull away. there’s this unspoken thing between them, but he’s sure that both of them can talk about and figure it out later. “thanks for the lesson. hope we can have more later.” 

“definitely. i can’t wait to see how you’ll surprise me for our next session.” he can painfully hear the double meaning in his looks and his words loud and clear, and minseok can’t help but laugh.

next time, he doesn’t think he’ll hesitate as long to take up the offer.


End file.
